Graceful Pain
by MadGirl-SpaceGirl-StarGirl
Summary: Nareena. A quiet, kind girl, who knows her place as a servant. She never asked for the secret she must keep beneath the castle but she will do anything to protect it and herself. Even if it means lying to her friends, suffering in silence and shutting out the man who loves her through it all. But maybe not all secrets can stay secret. And maybe people can't stay shut out forever...
1. Chapter 1

"Morning Narry!" came a cheerful voice from behind her and as she turned to greet it's owner, the half filled basket of dirty linens was knocked from her arms by a passing squire and went tumbling to the ground.

"Damned laundry!" she muttered to herself as she knelt to put all the sheets back into the basket. Suddenly a pale pair of hands was beside her and she looked up to se the person who had greeted her.

Merlin. Merlin and his ever present red scarf was kneeling beside her helping pile the laundry back into her basket.

"Morning Merlin." Nareena replied quietly, but with a grin of her own, as Merlin chuckled his way through an apology about distracting her. She focused on folding the sheets in her hands as Merlin continued rambling from one subject to the next. Merlin watched Nareena as he talked for she never ceased to intrigue him. She was younger than he but not by much, perhaps nearer nineteen than his twenty one. He couldn't deny that she was indeed a beautiful girl, even if she held no romantic interest for him. She tended to hide behind a shoulder length curtain of dark brown hair that was made to look darker by her pale skin. She rarely made eye contact with anyone, which was to be expected with the nobility in the castle but she also did the same with the other servants and staff. However when she did look anyone in the eye her jade coloured ones seemed far to old for her face. She was an old soul. Merlin had known Nareena for a few months ever since she had arrived in Camelot, in fact he was the first person who had actually spoken to her without giving her an order and the two were friends. Nareena was polite, kind and on the occasions that she over came her naturally shy nature she was also very funny, but there was something else and that was what intrigued Merlin. It felt to him, that Nareena always knew more than she was letting on, or that she always had and always would know something that other's wouldn't. Merlin was broken from his reverie by a small cough as Nareena cleared her throat. Looking down he realised that he was kneeling on the last sheet. Grinning abashedly he moved off of it and Nareena dumped it into the basket before they both got to their feet again.

"Where are you headed?" asked Merlin.

"I have a few more rooms to collect from and then I need to repair this." she said gesturing to a small tear in the cuff of her plain dark blue dress and Merlin felt himself smile a little sadly internally.  
When Nareena had arrived in Camelot she had arrived alone with nothing and no one. Gwen had taken her in and all of her clothes and belongings were old hand-me-downs from Gwen, which Nareena worked tirelessly to repair and maintain so as not to be anymore of a burden on the kind nature of Lady Morgana's maid. In fact it had been Gwen who was the one to convince Morgana to grant Nareena a position in the castle, saying truthfully that she was a hardworking, polite and kind natured girl.

"What about you? Where are you off to?" she asked in return, but before Merlin could speak, the unmistakable sound of Arthur Pendragon's bellowing voiced echoed through the corridor

"MEERRRLLLIIINNNN!" and the young man in question pointed in the direction of the sound

"That way apparently." he said before jogging down the corridor away from her calling as he did.

"You take care Narry!"

"I've told you Merlin, that's not my name!" she laughed after him as he disappeared around the corner and is disembodied voice answered in a yell

"I KNOW!"

* * *

Nareena was trying not to be frantic as she walked as quickly as she could without running through the long passages of the lower levels of the castle. It was dark now. Cook had kept her for hours making sure that she scrubbed down each and every inch of the floor twice until it shined, after a clumsy manservant had spilled hot vegetable sauce all over the flagstones. So now she was late. Gwen would be worried and she still had things to do. Well one thing. She hated to make Gwen worried, especially after the woman had done so much for her, taking on both a motherly and mentoring role in her life, but she had to get down to the Western tunnels before she could go home.

She paused, ducking in an archway for a moment as two knights she recognised as Sir Mycan and Sir Randlef walked past talking in low voices. Once they had turned left back towards the main castle she stepped back out into the passage, this time breaking into a run. finally she climbed between two collapsed stones into a small cavern unknown by most and unentered by many.

"I'm sorry I took so long." she whispered into the shadows, and was met with nothing but a low hissing sound. Hurriedly she reached into the pocket of her cloak and pulled out a piece of the kidney pie she had stolen from cook when the old hag was bemoaning the state of her beloved kitchen floor. She held it out in front of her.

"Look, I brought food. Much better than those scraps from before. Here." she said kindly place the piece on the floor wrapped in a napkin. Nothing happened. Carefully and quietly Nareena got to her feet, leaving the pie where it was.

"I'll come back tomorrow. Earlier I promise."

And with that she hurried from the cavern, out through the tunnels, out of the castle and through the town until she reached Guinevere's home.

"Narry! Where on earth have you been?" cried Gwen from her place at the table where two bowls of steaming stew. Nareena mumbled a quick excuse about cook, before falling ravenously on the bowl of stew. Smiling fondly, Gwen also began to eat, having waited for Nareena before touching her food. As they ate, Nareena surreptitiously watched Gwen from over her bowl. She was glad to see Gwen comfortable and happy once more. It had only been three weeks previously when Gwen had been arrested under suspicion of enchanting Arthur to fall in love with her. Nareena remembered crying for nearly three hours into Merlin's shoulder when she was convinced that her friend was going to be executed. But thankfully she was back, happy, healthy and still hopelessly in love with the prince.

"I want you to be wary of Morgana!" Gwen suddenly blurted out, causing Nareena to frown in confusion.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"I just- Merlin and I believe she- She has changed since her return. You can't trust her. Promise me." Gwen said earnestly grasping Nareena's hand.

"I promise."

And it worried her to see the sheer relief on Gwen's beautiful face.

* * *

First chapter done.

More too come.

What's under the castle?

Please be patient.

Geronimo xx


	2. Chapter 2

Next part, things are getting dangerous.

oh and In case you were unsure, the last chapter starts just after episode 10 in season 3. I wont include very episode though. So this is now set around the episode the Coming of Arthur.

Enjoy.

* * *

Ever since the battle of the undead army, Gaius had insisted that he be allowed to tutor Nareena, after she showed her prowess at caring for the soldiers wounded by the skeleton soldiers. So for an hour every day Nareena could be found in Gaius chambers, leaning over an old book, learning from the old physician and laughing with the young man with the black hair. And this was where she could be found when a knight came barrelling into the room, calling for them all to attend the king.

Once everyone was gathered in the thrown room, Arthur entered looking grave. Uther beckoned him forwards.

"This morning we were delivered a message." the prince told his father and the room.

"What message?" demanded Uther and Arthur held out a scrap of red material. It was the emblem of the knights of Camelot clearly having been ripped from a cloak.

"Cenred sent this. His men attacked a patrol last night. He said that they crossed into his lands as an act of invasion and an example had to be made. All were slain. Sir Alyor, Sir Megra all of them.. n-including Sir Leon."

This brought gasps and murmurings from all in attendance. Whilst most stared horrified at the King, Nareena was watching Morgana with a kind of fascinated horror. The kings ward should have been heart broken, crushed at the news of on her oldest friends death. So why was the beauty of Camelot clearly (to anyone looking for it) trying to suppress a bigger smirk than the cat who ate the canary.

After a few more moments the assembly was dismissed. Nareena left quickly and waited in one of the corridors until she saw a familiar figure walk past. Grabbing hold of an arm she yanked them into the alcove with her before whispering in a voice of fear and confusion

"Morgana."

Merlin gulped as he looked down at his small friend, the one word statement enough to let him know that she too had either been warned or worked out that Morgana was Camelot's traitor.

"I didn't want to endanger you. She's the kings ward, she's practically untouchable. There's little we can do." he explained sadly.

"You should have told me Merlin."

"I'm sorry." he said regretfully but Nareena just sighed and said

"Leon?"

"Leon's one of the toughest knights to have ever protected the king. I have to hope that maybe, somehow he-" but Merlin couldn't finish the sentence. Now resting in a sad silence the two friends walked back to Gaius room's together and unenthusiastically began at there work again.

* * *

"How can he be alive Gaius?" Nareena asked quietly. Gwen was attending to Morgana and so she was eating with Merlin and Gaius, a delicious meal of lamb and potato soup. They were all still a little shocked at the miraculous reappearance of a strangely unharmed Sir Leon.

"The cup they were speaking of, I believe it to be the cup of life." Gaius began and Nareena did not fail to notice the stiffening of Merlin beside her, though she did not mention it.

"The legend says that once, on the eve of a great war, one of the anient kings took an enchanted cup to his armies. Each gave a drop of blood to the cup and each drank from it. From that moment on no sword could wound them, no weapon could kill them. The cup healed them, not just of injuries but permanently. They became immortal." Gaius said ominously.

* * *

Immortal.

And immortal army.

Though she had not been in Camelot more than a few months Nareena knew of Cenred, knew of his cruelty and ruthlessness. The thought of him getting his hands on the cup frightened her and she knew it terrified the king. Terrified him enough to send his only son and Merlin n a quest to find it. She watched from the window in the early dawn light as Merlin and Arthur shrank into the distance on their horses.

"Be safe." she whispered to herself.

On the other side of the castle, another young woman watched as the prince and his servant travelled away from the castle. another pair of eyes watched them disappear into the distance. And another voice whispered a very different set of words.

"Good riddance."

And with that Morgana turned on her heel and stalked back into the slowly awakening castle.

* * *

The whole castle as afraid.

When Leon came back, bruised and bloodied with only a few of the knights he had left with, no one could have been prepared for the story he told. No one except Gaius and Nareena, but that did not make them any less afraid.

"Mount any defences we can, summon all the guards." ordered Uther but Leon quickly shook his head.

"I fear it will do no good Sire. The army, those soldiers- our swords could not cause harm. I stabbed a man through the heart ad he just kept fighting. They cannot be killed."

There was an echoing silence. Nareena could hear her own heart beat in her head. She shot a quick glance at Morgana who was staring unflinchingly at Uther's back with the upmost loathing.

"Leave us. Let the war council convene at once." Ordered Uther and people scurried from the room. Gwen took Nareena's hand in her open and the each could feel the slight tremble in the other.

"It's going to be a bloodbath." whispered Gwen as they walked away from the throne room.

"What do we do?" asked Nareena, thankful that her soft voice did not crack from fear. Gwen looked at her friend as they walked and gave the smallest of sad smiles.

"We pray. And we help in whatever way we can."

But even as Gwen's words washed over her, Nareena's mind drifted to thoughts of a dark cavern, under the Western part of the castle.

And what she knew she could not leave there with an immortal army at the gates.

Se was broken from her reverie by the abrupt halt of Gwen beside her. The older woman gasped her hand to her mouth as she stared out of one of the high castle windows,

"Dear God." she whispered in terror and Nareena stood beside her gazing out at the fearful sight of an unnaturally large army marked only by a massive black shape moving steadily nearer and torches, glowing in the night stretching as far back as the eye could see.

"I don't think he can help us now Gwen." she said calmly.

And Gwen couldn't help but agree.

* * *

The battle was bloody and quick. The immortals cut through Camelot's soldiers like melted butter, leaving only the knights, defeated but alive. Gwen had not left Morgana's side. Not when the fighting began. Not when Morgana had openly embraced the blonde haired sorceress that the knights referred to as Morgeuse. Not when Morgana had forced Uther to kneel before her as she was crowned queen.

And it saddened Nareena more than she could say.

Because it was not Gwen who stood beside the treacherous Morgana. This woman was a shell, gazing on blankly unemotional and unaffected by her mistresses treason. The only clue to the true Gwen still being resent was the simmering fire in her deep brown eyes. And Nareena knew that Gwen was simply trying to stay alive, was biding her time until she could do something to help. She only wished that she could afford to do the same.

But she couldn't.

Morgana was still in the throne room, having just been crowned, she was establishing the new law and order of her reign. This left the rest of the castle deserted. It meant that Nareena was not stopped or impeded as she carried a basket of food down through the tunnels, into the cavern.

"I told you I would be back. Look, look how much food I got you. I have to leave."

this was met with a hiss as she set the basket down.

"I'm sorry. I'll come back I promise."

Another vicious hiss.

"I'm sorry." she whispered once more, slightly teary eyed as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a vial that she had taken from Gaius chambers. Biting back a small sob, she poured the contents of the vial in a long, thick line that spanned the entrance to the cavern. She heard one last hiss from the darkness as she ran, not back towards the castle this time, but out one of the old passages, out into the woods. She was ready to travel. She had stolen a pair of trousers that Gwen had for travelling and wore a dark cloak over a dark blue tunic, which she was pretty certain was one of Merlin's, designed for winter, as it was far thicker than the material her clothes were usually made from. Hoisting her pack, a little higher onto her shoulders, she sped off into the night and dark of the woods, her soft brown boots, leaving hardly any trace into the earth.

She needed to find Gaius. Find Gaius and she would find Merlin, Find Merlin and she was guaranteed to find Arthur.

Find Arthur and well, she may have just found Camelot's last hope.

* * *

Chapter 2 done!

I want people to guess what is under the castle!

Review me your ideas, and feedback guys!

Geronimo xx


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